


A Reckless Rescue

by silver_doe287



Series: Clerith One-Shots [5]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Aerith is Cloud's knight in shining armor in this one, F/M, I love the role reversal, Mako Poisoning (Compilation of FFVII)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:01:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26326795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_doe287/pseuds/silver_doe287
Summary: Sometimes heroism is an option. Sometimes it is expected. After waking up and discovering Cloud has been taken outside of Junon, Aerith won't rest until she knows he's safe and back with her again.Clerith prompt day 5: I'm Coming For You.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Series: Clerith One-Shots [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2150871
Comments: 3
Kudos: 35





	A Reckless Rescue

Sunlight streamed gently through Aerith’s closed eyelids, teasing her from sleep and warming her face. Birds chirped happily up above, joined by the robust chorus of frogs in the distance. A stream bubbled merrily nearby, accompanying the ensemble that sang in her ears.

She had been enjoying the deepest dreamless sleep she had experienced in her life, and yet still felt tired. As she yawned and her eyes fluttered open, she blinked into focus the perfect morning. Despite laying on a bed of only grass, that dreamless sleep had her a little perplexed. Sure, she had been plagued by dreams and visions for the past few weeks, but for them to suddenly disappear felt a bit…off.

Trying to lay the troublesome thought aside, Aerith sat up and stretched. She saw the others were still fast asleep as well, evident by loud snores from Barrett and Tifa’s curled up position on the other side of the fire. Red XIII was laying a bit of a ways off, eyes closed and breathing even. After the last week or so of being on the hunt for Sephiroth, it warmed her heart to see all of them resting. She was sure one person wouldn’t have found that needed rest, however. Her wandering eyes landed on where Cloud had set up camp for himself for the night.

Except everything was gone. Even Cloud.

Aerith frowned, getting to her feet and dusting grass, dirt, and morning dew off her dress. She crept quietly to Cloud’s spot, eyes darting around slightly to see if she could see him in the distance. The small grove that had provided their protection was surrounded on all sides by tall, grassy hills dotted with occasional trees. There was no sign of that familiar shock of blond or the glint of his buster sword anywhere. All that remained beneath her feet were light impressions of where he had sat, keeping watch while they slept. She caught a glint of metal peeking out of the grass and knelt, carefully brushing growth away to reveal what had caught her eye.

A spent syringe, emblazoned with the ever familiar Shinra logo, lay in front of her. A small amount of contents remained, revealing a telling, sickly green. She knew instantly what it was.

“ _No,_ ” Aerith whispered in horror. “Shit, shit, shit!” She stood up and ran over to Tifa’s side, shaking the other woman. “Tifa, please wake up!”

Tifa stirred a bit and groaned, her eyes fluttering open to blink blearily at Aerith. She came to quickly, seeing the panic on Aerith’s face.

“Aerith? What’s going on?” she asked, shaking her head and waking up. “Wow, I must have been sleeping deeply.”

“I think we all were,” Aerith rushed, glancing back anxiously at the spot where she had found the syringe. “Tifa, Cloud’s gone.”

“ _What_?” Tifa exclaimed, shooting up and searching for where he was supposed to be. “All of his things are gone too!”

“What’s going on?” Barrett grumbled, not quite sleeping or awake.

“Cloud is gone, Barrett!”

“I found something,” Aerith interjected before he could let out more than a “hmph.” “Tifa, it’s a syringe. It has Shinra’s logo on it. It’s used.”

Tifa sucked in a breath through her teeth, dashing back over to where Aerith just was. Aerith followed and pointed out the object in question. Tifa carefully picked it up by the side, examining it closely.

“That looks like…”

“Mako,” Aerith finished darkly. “Raw, unrefined mako.”

“What the hell would somebody be doing with a syringe of mako?” Barrett exclaimed, stretching and walking over to Red. “Red, get up. Cloud’s missing.”

Aerith met Tifa’s eyes for a few seconds.

“Cloud has been under the effects of mako poisoning before,” she said. “If somebody wanted him to be in that state again, this would be the quickest way.”

“No, absolutely not,” Tifa gasped, raising a hand to her mouth. “What do you mean, he’s had mako poisoning before?”

“Haven’t you noticed it?” Aerith told her. “He gets these headaches and weird moments of pain. That’s a lingering effect of too much mako in the system.”

Speaking about mako gave her an idea. Aerith eyed the grass below their feet, searching for something, anything that could provide a strong enough energy source. There were small white weedy flowers growing amidst the grass. That would have to do. She knelt and placed both palms onto the ground, squeezing her eyes shut and searching.

“What are you doing?” Red asked as he and Barret stopped somewhere close by.

“Trying to see if the flowers can share anything,” Aerith replied, aware that desperation was creeping into her voice and into her bones. “Give me a few moments.”

All fell silent around her, the cheerful calling of birds disappearing into a vacuum and leaving nothing but a soft, buzzing noise in her ears. Her mind filled with disproportionate images, black and white and fuzzy. She squinted, trying to focus better. A ringing began to accompany the buzz, but the images slowed and began to sharpen on two figures, creeping through a darker version of the grove they were in now. Pale moonlight shone beams onto smartly dressed faces, one all too familiar and one not at all. The glint of purpose shone in Tseng’s eyes as he stared over the bushes that obscured him and the other Turk, holding up a hand for the other to wait. Aerith quickly looked over their shoulders at the image of all of them sleeping, except for Cloud, who was sitting with a hand propped on one raised knee, staring away from where they were. Her heart fluttered.

Tseng and the other, younger Turk produced small masks, putting them over their mouths and noses. Then Tseng dropped all but one finger, sending some unknown signal. Before her eyes, she watched as soft mist descended, seeming a bit familiar…

Cloud had noticed this too and jumped to his feet, hand reaching out for the buster sword while clamping his other gloved hand over his mouth. In front of her, the Turks looked at each other and nodded. Tseng held up a second finger next to the first. Then he leapt cleanly over the bushes and landed between Cloud and his sword. Cloud’s eyes widened and then narrowed considerably, recognition flooding through him. Tseng took a fighting stance, body determinedly between Cloud and his favorite weapon. Cloud lowered his stance, bringing his right fist up while keeping his left over his mouth. His eyes scanned around them quickly, landing on Aerith’s sleeping form before darting back angrily to Tseng. He must have assumed the Turks had returned to take her again.

As she watched, horror-struck, she realized he was dead wrong.

The other Turk had snuck up behind him, and Aerith caught a now-familiar glint in her hand. Tseng dodged a swing from Cloud and brought both arms up, taking him by surprise and ripping his gloved hand away from his mouth. He pinned the ex-SOLDIER’s arms to his sides.

“Get off me!” Cloud yelled in confusion, thrashing and almost breaking free from Tseng – until the needle found his exposed throat. Aerith watched, helpless, while he stiffened, the syringe depositing liquid poison into his veins. After a moment Tseng let him go, watching cautiously while Cloud clamped a hand over his mouth again, bringing the other around to his neck. He stared up at the Turk while his eyes flickered, before a strong, bright glow took over his usual blue, composing a completely blank look. Then his eyelids fell shut, cutting off the illumination, and he collapsed onto the ground.

“Elena,” Tseng barked through his mask, “step three.”

The other Turk nodded and disappeared from view, returning moments later with cuffs. She tipped Cloud onto his stomach, bringing his hands behind him and securing his wrists. A trooper appeared into frame and stalked over to Cloud, using his arms to hoist him up.

“This way,” Tseng instructed, walking away from where Aerith could see. He paused at the edge of the tree line, seeming to converse with someone. Aerith strained more, trying to concentrate enough to hear. The ringing was getting louder and her head was beginning to pound. She succeeded, however.

“…sure this is the one you’re looking for?” Tseng was asking curtly.

“Absolutely. This particular specimen caused me enough stress, I certainly would know him anywhere.”

Chills slid down Aerith’s spine and left goosebumps on her skin. She would know that slimy voice anywhere.

“Where are you bringing him?”

“Why would you need to know that?” Professor Hojo snapped, and Tseng slightly recoiled before recovering and standing straight again. “No matter, have your Turks bring him to the ferry before it leaves. My lab is too mangled to do any work there. Luckily, I have a backup for this kind of situation.”

“Very well,” Tseng answered, nodding his head once. He waved the trooper that had Cloud and they began their march towards the plains and a waiting helicopter…

Aerith gasped and slid out of the vision, her head rushing and gravity temporarily disappearing from her body. A moment later she found herself staring upwards at Tifa’s worried face, and behind her Barrett and Red.

“Aerith, are you okay?” Tifa asked, concern glistening in her eyes. “What happened?”

She realized she was gasping for breath, and she took a few deep breaths to steady herself. Her head wasn’t ready for her to sit up yet, but she couldn’t wait too long.

“It was Hojo,” she whispered. “The Turks drugged us – just like at Corneo’s – and took him, Tifa.” She fought back tears that sprung into her eyes, but she was fighting a losing battle. “He knew what was happening. He thought they were here for me…then they injected him. His eyes…” Aerith shuddered deeply, remembering the poisoning stare of mako that had overtaken his beautiful blue eyes.

“Where are they taking him?” Barrett asked, looking around quickly to see if he could spot a path.

“Hojo mentioned a ferry…they must have taken him to Junon,” Aerith replied, feeling well enough to sit up. She braced her hand behind her and let her brain get used to gravity again, still calming her breathing. “We have to get him back.”

“Agreed,” Red voiced his assent. “With mako in his system, Cloud will be unable to defend himself.”

Aerith clenched her fist, her mind replaying the scenario over and over again. Hojo had done so much before that she had been angry and upset at, but this was the last straw. She couldn’t place why Cloud was a “specimen” to Hojo, and that part worried her the most. There was so much of his story he couldn’t remember…what had happened to him? What did Hojo want with him?

She tipped onto her feet, eyes finding the spot they had walked towards in her vision. As she strode over undergrowth and left the comforting shade of trees behind her, she could see the distinct pattern of long grass that had been forced back by a strong gust of wind, as if from a helicopter. She clenched her fists, summoning her staff.

“Let’s go,” she demanded, looking over her shoulder to see her friends. They nodded their agreement.

They weren’t far from Junon now, that much was easy to see. A ridge of low mountains guided them to their seafront destination, and Aerith wasn’t about to stop and rest when she knew Cloud was in danger. Her chest ached at the thought of him in a state of poisoning, unable to do anything. She wondered if the mako in his system would make him easier for her to reach mentally, but she didn’t dare try anything while on the move. Besides, her head still had a bit of ringing to it that probably wasn’t healthy. It wasn’t normal for her to demand the flowers show her things; she had always been one to kindly ask, yet it didn’t seem like she had time for the usual pleasantries today.

With the Shinra port in view after a grueling day of travel, Tifa finally tugged on her arm and slowed her gait.

“We need to take a break,” she said apologetically, pointing at the various stages of raggedness the team were at. Even Aerith was breathing a bit harshly.

“I’m sorry,” Aerith sighed, drooping her shoulders. “I wanted to get to him today.”

“Me too, but we need to be fresh if we’re going to infiltrate Shinra again,” Tifa comforted, squeezing her arm. “Let’s rest over there for the night and get a fresh start.”

“Sounds good to me!” Barrett agreed, striding over to the spot in question – thick brush against a steep cliff. “And look – there’s a cave here!”

“Perfect,” Red commented, following Barrett and disappearing through the brush. Aerith took a deep breath and followed the rest of them. Her mind was working a mile a minute, still not ready to give up for the day. She had another idea and the cover of night would be the perfect time to do it. After a light supper from their rations, they cozied around the campfire, making do with the walls of the cave offering protection from the elements and suspecting passerby. Each of them drifted off to sleep, slowly.

Aerith had her knees pressed to her chest, cave wall against her back, as she watched, one by one, each of her friends who were able to find sleep. She ran her thumb over the back of her hand absently, waiting to make sure she would be truly alone. She had only done this once or twice and it took a kind of willpower to use the lifestream like this. The problem was, she had never succeeded in communication outside of locations she was familiar with. As she didn’t have a strong layout of Junon or where Cloud might be, she now had to solely rely on Cloud’s mind, his presence. She hoped that the influx of mako in his system might help her, because it had never worked when she had tried this with Zack before. She had to do it differently this time. She had to help, had to make sure she wouldn’t lose him too.

Taking a calming breath, her eyes slid shut and she focused, this time much more gently than before. Her entire will was focused on a polite request of the lifestream, to help her find Cloud.

As Aerith focused and prayed, her hands coming together and her head bowing, she began to feel…different. A sharp taste hung in the air, and a musty, stifling blanket of emotion and confusion filled her brain. Angry stabs of pain penetrated her skull, and the blank world before her became an eternal green. She inhaled sharply, thinking something wasn’t right, this wasn’t what she was looking for – but then, with a start, she realized these weren’t her emotions, and this wasn’t her mind anymore.

It was Cloud’s.

This mind felt frayed, hanging on by loose ends of a thread that she couldn’t quite see. Echoes of voices, muddled and distant, surrounded her. She searched for something, anything that was familiar.

“Cloud?” She called out softly. “Cloud, are you here?”

Very slowly, images began to form before her eyes. The silhouette of a familiar body appeared in front of her, looking very much like he had before he had disappeared. His back was to her, the muscles in his shoulders tense as he stared up at something she couldn’t quite make out, sword out and ready to strike.

The image flashed, updated very briefly – he had changed and was now wearing – what was that, a Shinra trooper uniform? And then suddenly everything flashed again and returned, this time enhanced even more with a sickly green.

The scene in front of her morphed into something else. This image was dim, as if the world had been lit darkly when he remembered it. The features of a dark underground room appeared, and a lone infantry helmet lay forgotten on the ground. A twisted face with the familiar glint of glasses wavered into view, disgust and intrigue etched into features.

“…interesting,” Hojo simply muttered. His voice sounded like he was speaking from underwater, and the image faded just as quickly as it had appeared.

Another soft, dark glimpse revealed Cloud again, propped up against the inside of a tank, hunched over with closed eyes. He twitched occasionally, as if in intense pain.

“Cloud?” Aerith spoke gently, reaching out to him. Her fingers met a thick glass, cold and unyielding. This revealed a reaction from him, however. He lifted his head ever so slightly and opened his eyelids, revealing blank, glowing green eyes.

She jerked back, reminded all too well of how he had looked when being kidnapped. His eyes drooped shut again and his head lolled back onto his chest. There was a faint pounding, as if somebody else was also trying to reach him…

The images disappeared and left her in a deep sea of mako.

“Oh Cloud,” Aerith whispered, “where are you?” She searched, squinting, trying to find even the slightest hint of where he could be being held.

“Something is wrong,” a voice said from behind her. She whipped her head around to see a lone figure in a sea of green, a young teen who couldn’t be anybody else but whom she was looking for. He wore baggy jeans and a white shirt, and his hair – longer than he wore it now – was pulled back into a ponytail. He had his arms crossed and was giving her that same impassive look her Cloud wore all the time. His eyes were devoid of mako, a full, beautiful blue.

“Hey Cloud,” she greeted gently, putting her hands on her knees. “I’m looking for you. Do you know where you are? Do you remember anything?”

This young, teenaged Cloud shook his head, keeping his eyes trained on her.

“Everything is green and funny,” he replied simply. “I can’t remember what’s going on.”

“Do you know me?” she asked with a small smile. He stared at her, thinking hard, and then nodded.

“Flower girl,” he said. “Aerith.”

“Excellent,” she breathed. “We were travelling together, but something happened. The Turks took you away…to Hojo.” Aerith watched with bated breath for a reaction. Young Cloud scrunched up his face, trying to remember.

“I know him,” he muttered. “I know Hojo…”

“Yes, you do,” she encouraged. “You rescued me from him a while back. But…he knew you, Cloud. Why did Hojo know you? He called you his ‘specimen.’”

Cloud’s eyes widened slightly.

“I – I can’t remember,” he said in frustration, balling his hands up into fists and pressing them against his temples. “I don’t even know where I am now. What’s going on?”

“You’ve been injected with mako,” Aerith said calmly, putting a hand on his shoulder. He jerked and looked down at it and up at her. “Maybe I can help a bit. Do you mind?” She lifted her hand and nodded to it, smiling at him. Her heart was pounding in her ears. This young Cloud looked from it to her.

“Okay,” he answered.

Aerith put a careful hand on his forehead, using him as a catalyst to sense anything else. She could feel the real Cloud now, how the mako pulsed angrily in his veins, tearing through his mind and seeping through his muscles. She tried to associate this mako with the peaceful lifestream she knew, tried to find the familiarity within. Then, ever so gently, she let her will gently pull through his circular system, drawing out the mako and expelling it through the pores in his skin.

She couldn’t keep it up for long, but hopefully the amount she was able to remove would be enough. Aerith pulled her hand back and smiled at Cloud, who looked confused. Then, before her eyes, he transformed, disappearing in a puff of smoke and being replaced almost instantly by her Cloud. The eyes were the same, still confused, but they now held that familiar ring of green. Relief flooded through her body and she pushed forward, hugging him tightly around the neck.

“You’re here!” she cried, feeling a tear or two creep loose from her eyes.

“Of course I am, where else would I be?” Cloud asked, that confusion drawing into his voice too. “Wait… where am I?”

Aerith pulled back, wiping her eyes.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” she said through a wavering smile. “I helped as much as I could from here, but Cloud… you’re sick. We need to get to you. Hojo has you.”

Cloud frowned at her, looking around them.

“Sick?” he echoed, staring at the immense green background. “What is this?”

“This is your mind,” she explained. “I’m using the mako in you to talk to you. It’s kind of like last time, you know?” She blushed a bit at the memory, and his face briefly mirrored hers.

“Okay,” Cloud said after a moment. “How can we figure out where I am?”

Aerith thought quickly.

“Let’s start with the basics,” she said then. “How do you feel?”

Cloud looked around again, then brought his arms up, wrapping gloved hands around his exposed skin.

“Cold,” he replied, seemingly in shock over this fact. “It’s really cold.”

“Okay, cold, got it. Now… can you see anything?”

Cloud looked at her, confused again. A faint image appeared in front of them, revealing a small window in a darkened room, a green-tinged moon faintly hanging in the distance. The image was behind yet another glass, surrounded on all sides by thick layers of frost. The image swayed rhythmically.

“Okay, you’re on a boat somewhere,” she told him. “I can’t quite make it out, but you must be in the harbor at Junon.”

“Why can’t I just break out?” Cloud asked in frustration, staring at the image and rubbing his arms. She placed a hand on his arm, startled at the indeed freezing temperature of his skin.

“Because you’re in a mako-induced coma,” she answered. “I can’t get it all out of your system, Cloud, not from where I am. We’re close but not that close.”

His teeth chattered a bit.

“Is there anything else?” she asked desperately. “Anything you can think of at all.”

Cloud slowly shook his head, and then stopped.

“I hear something,” he told her. Sure enough, in the faint distance, footsteps and voices were coming. Aerith froze and clutched his arm, watching the scene unfold. Back in the real world that the image was portraying, she hoped that it wouldn’t be too obvious that she had helped him out.

That hope was misplaced.

“What the hell,” somebody away from the image swore – was that Hojo? “Were you even paying attention?” There was a clanging as the door opened and a trooper backed into frame, looking towards Cloud.

“He’s been completely silent, I swear!” The trooper pleaded, before his mouth fell open. “H-how did that happen?”

Hojo appeared into frame next, crossing his arms and bearing the expression of somebody who had smelled something unpleasant. He frowned.

“How indeed,” he muttered, tilting his head slightly as he leaned in. Her Cloud hissed, jerking away as if he could move his head in his current state.

“I gotta get out of here,” he told Aerith. “How do I get better?”

She shrugged her shoulders silently, staring at the scene. Hojo was poking him with his finger now, muttering out minute observations to himself. He waved over another person, this one producing another syringe. Her stomach turned. Cloud stared at what was happening, eyes wide at the needle.

“Shit,” he swore quietly.

“I’m coming for you,” she promised Cloud, grabbing his hand and holding it in hers. “Okay, Cloud? We’ll come get you.”

He couldn’t hide the fear in his eyes as he looked back at her and at his hand. He swallowed.

“Okay,” he whispered.

Aerith hugged him one more time, trying to ignore the syringe as it dipped from view. She kissed his cheek as his form dissipated once more, the green of mako flowing like a rhythm and making everything disappear.

And then she was back in the cave, tears streaming down her face. She could feel the lingering pain and push of the mako against his head, against his very being as it struggled to break free. He was a prisoner in his own mind now. She hugged her knees tighter and wished for sleep to come, if nothing else but to take her mind off his pain.

Sleep wouldn’t come, however. Aerith stared into the dying embers of the fire, watching small flames lick up at charred wood. Tendrils of smoke drifted lazily upward, stirred only by a gentle wind coming from the mouth of the cave. She felt restless, nervous, distressed.

She knew what she had to do.

Aerith stretched her legs out and slowly stood, rummaging quietly through their supplies. With fire and time added to her menagerie of equipped materia, she clutched her staff and tiptoed out of the cave, carefully avoiding waking any of the others. They would understand. In fact, if she was successful, she and Cloud could be back before they even woke.

Creeping through the brush, Aerith made her way back to the path they had been on and started for the direction of Junon, which was a beacon of disturbing green glow for her. The path was empty, and her only accompaniment was the steady thrum of crickets that followed her as she went. Cautiously, she kept her grip firm on her staff, hyper aware that she could be attacked at any moment by monsters she would have never seen before. This didn’t deter her from her course, however. She had one goal in mind.

“I’m coming for you,” she repeated to herself under her breath, eyes firm on her rapidly closing destination.

Aerith headed for the undercity, a place that looked not all that different from the slums of Midgar. Not a soul was in sight from the dusty, yellowing streetlights that lined the sides of the empty, cracked street. She put her staff away for now, hoping to seem inconspicuous should a passerby happen to see her. The distant sounds of lapping water were drowned out by the heavy whir of machinery from above, which made her look up and study the startlingly familiar steel sky to hers back home. This gave her a pang of longing for home and her mother’s cooking. She longed to see her flowers again, to share with them her day. She would make it back there.

Up ahead, a lone figure had appeared. The red glow of three round circles halted her progression as she realized it was a Shinra trooper. He stood on guard in front of a building that looked quite out of place from the rest: where the rest of the undercity was dirty and disheveled, built like a patchwork quilt from various materials, this building had the seamless, ornate steel construction that could only belong directly to Shinra. Aerith took a deep breath, knowing this was where she needed to go. She straightened up, relaxed the fists at her side, and took her first step towards the elevator.

Only to get yanked back forcefully, letting out a painful yelp in the process. The Shinra trooper started and looked her way, but by then the shadows had covered her up.

“ _Shhhhh! I’m not going to hurt you, dummy!_ ” a young, female voice hissed in her ear. Aerith dropped the tension in her arms and whirled around to face her assailant. The person in question was indeed a young girl, probably somewhere in her teens. She had a bob of dark hair over a pale face, one with bright, emblazoned eyes. Her intricate shoes laced up to her knees, and her skinny legs emphasized her excited stance.

“Who are you?” Aerith asked warily, wondering if she should summon her staff. The other girl gave a quick laugh and then pressed a hand to her mouth, peering around Aerith at the guard. Aerith spared a glance, too – he didn’t seem to care about them anymore.

“Name’s Yuffie,” the girl introduced with a quick handshake. “I’ve been trying to get up that elevator for awhile now. I just can’t figure out how to sneak up on him. Can you believe that? Me, ninja extraordinaire!”

Aerith blinked in surprise. Then she let out a little giggle.

“I’m Aerith. I was just going to ask politely, you know,” she informed Yuffie, who spluttered her reply.

“You can’t just do that!” she complained. “There’s no excitement in it. No tact. No style!”

“Unfortunately, I’m in a hurry and don’t have time for style,” Aerith told her. “Shinra is holding someone I care about very dearly. I’m worried they’ll hurt him.”

Yuffie frowned and narrowed her eyes.

“That’s what Shinra does. They murder, they steal, they ruin everything,” she snarled. “I’d like to see them pay, starting with the president himself.”

“Wouldn’t we all,” Aerith sighed. “Well the new president will hopefully not be as bad. The old one was downright mean. He almost shot a friend of mine.”

“That’s _crazy!_ ”

Yuffie looked back over at the guard again after her outburst.

“Whoops,” she snickered. “But girl, you met the old president Shinra? Did you kill him? Did your friend kill him? Oh man, what I wouldn’t give to have been able to kick him just once!”

Aerith was beginning to get a bit impatient. This girl was a talker.

“Look, Yuffie, I’m in a hurry,” she said again. “I need to get up that elevator. Maybe you can help, and we can get up there together, if that’s what you want.”

Yuffie eyed her distrustfully.

“You’re not playing me?” she asked doubtfully. “You’re not gonna turn around and steal my materia or anything, are you?”

“Scout’s honor,” Aerith said with a firm nod. Yuffie seemed to give the situation some thought before she nodded too.

“All right: let’s do it your way,” she said with a grin and a brandished fist. Aerith smiled at the enthusiasm of the newcomer before she turned and peeked around the corner at the guard once again.

“Follow my lead,” Aerith said, composing a polite smile and folding her hands in front of her as she led the way back to the elevator. The guard watched warily as they approached, his gun loosely held in his arms.

“State your business,” he said tensely, fingers gripping the barrel of the gun more tightly.

“Good evening,” Aerith put on her best sweet voice, smiling at him. “I’m looking to head upwards; are you able to help me?”

The guard frowned, looking behind her.

“What about the kid?” he asked warily.

“Hey, I’m not a kid!” Yuffie shouted indignantly, stamping her foot and stepping up next to Aerith. “I’m helping my friend here with a very important task.”

“Which is…” The guard waited. Aerith’s heart fluttered a bit as she quickly thought.

“It’s something special in preparation for the new president’s arrival,” she answered smoothly. “Will you help us?”

The guard looked back and forth between them, still seeming unsure.

“I’m normally not allowed to let the undercity people mingle up above,” he said slowly. “Perhaps you can…make it worth my while.” He licked his lips, eyeing Aerith up and down. Aerith shuddered a bit but kept her composure.

“How about some gil?” she offered lightly. “I’m sure you aren’t as recognized as you should be for doing such a diligent job!” She pulled out a small purse and took out 300 gil. “Will this be enough to ease your struggles?”

The guard stared at the gil, long and hard. Then he hastily dropped his gun, accepting her payment and stepping aside. He pushed the button and the door dinged open.

“Be quick,” he snapped, ushering the two of them inside. “And don’t tell anybody I let you upstairs.”

“Of course,” Aerith replied with a beaming smile. “Thank you for your help!”

The doors whirred closed and Yuffie stuck her tongue out.

“Ugh, that guy was the worst,” she huffed, beginning to pace back and forth. “So, boss lady. Where to next?”

“We need to get to the docks,” Aerith said with a sigh, relaxing her shoulders and pocketing her money. “My friend is being held on a boat. I don’t know which one, though…”

“Luckily the docks aren’t that large,” Yuffie said. “I’m pretty sure there’s only a few boats there. We’ll just search them all. If you don’t mind me tagging along, that is. _Then_ maybe you can help me.”

Aerith stared at the younger girl, catching the excitement brimming in her round, wide eyes and the wicked grin on her face. This girl was a loose cannon.

“Maybe,” she replied carefully. “My friend is in bad shape, so we will have to see. But if he’s well enough, I will help you.”

“Oooooh, it’s a _boy_ ,” Yuffie sniggered. “Is he your boyfriend?”

Aerith went pink and held her shoulders up higher.

“None of your business,” she retorted, although she couldn’t stop a small smile creeping on her face at the very idea.

The elevator shuddered to a halt, dinging its arrival. The doors gracefully parted to reveal a long hallway that stretched in her entire line of sight, broken only by doors that peppered either side and the single long wall of windows that promised a view of the harbor. Aerith peeked around either side of them, not seeing any guards or other people, and then tentatively stepped forward into the hallway, making her way over to the windows.

The faint green glow in the sky dissolved into a sea of the deepest black, adorned with bright, colorful stars and a waxing moon. The water below them lapped at the rocky shore, looking pristine and silent. Her eyes followed the shoreline, searching for the docks.

“Over there!” Yuffie pointed to their right, all the way down the hallway. On the other side of the giant platform was indeed a series of docks, on which a few smaller boats and one massive freighter were waiting. Aerith eyed the smaller ones, instantly dispelling that they would be able to house Cloud. Instead, she narrowed her eyes in suspicion at the freighter, a multi-level boat just shy of being called a ship. It was long and tall, and the only way up looked to be rope ladders, as the ramp had been pulled in. A few windows along the side of the harbor had lights in them, but she couldn’t make anything out from here.

“The big one looks right,” she said lowly to Yuffie, clenching her fists. “Let’s go.”

They started down the long hallway, Aerith not removing her eyes from the freighter in case it might disappear. As they approached, she took in the obviously square windows that looked to be straight out of what Cloud had seen. The side she could see was facing the moon, too. _He was in there._

Aerith took the door before the docks and started carefully down the stairs, keeping an eye out for guards. Surprisingly, there weren’t any. She summoned her staff anyway, ready to cast stop on anybody who appeared.

“What did your friend do, anyway?” Yuffie half-whispered as they made their way over to the ladder.

“I’m not sure,” she answered. “One of the leaders at Shinra is interested in him. They grabbed him while we were sleeping.”

“Hmph, those Shinra pigs,” Yuffie snarled. “Makes me want to sink this boat.”

Aerith put away her staff and reached up to the rope ladder, swinging her head around and shaking it.

“Let’s just get him and go,” she said, and then started climbing.

Rope ladders were impossibly difficult to climb, Aerith realized quickly as this one flexed and pulled underneath hers and Yuffie’s weight. While her arm strength wasn’t anything to brag about, she was grateful it was enough to hold her weight when she slipped a bit and her foot almost had her falling back to the dock.

“Careful!” Yuffie complained from below her.

“Sorry,” Aerith said breathlessly, clutching the next rung for dear life. It took her a few precious minutes and a ton of spent adrenaline, but they finally reached the top, slipping over the side of the boat and crouching next to some boxes. There were guards up here, but they seemed to be for show more than anything else.

“Now what?”

Aerith pointed down the hull towards the back where there was a large staircase heading deeper into the ship.

“Let’s try that way first,” she suggested. Yuffie nodded and they crept through the dark spaces of the boat, successfully sneaking by a few guards as they were playing some kind of dice game. From there, Aerith called out her staff again and carefully slipped down the stairs into the dark ship below, Yuffie hot on her heels.

The only lights down here were emergency lights every twenty feet or so, stretching in the entire warehouse-like room that they entered. There didn’t seem to be anybody down here, for which she was grateful. A door at the end of the hall caught her eye. Aerith pointed in the very dim light to it, heading that way. Their footsteps were soft and echoed against the rapt metal of the floor beneath their feet.

Aerith twisted the doorknob, grateful it seemed unlocked. She peeked her head inside the hallway, catching sight of light and movement. She froze and retreated.

“What is it?” Yuffie whispered. “Is there somebody there?”

Aerith nodded, bringing her staff up. Yuffie held up her hand, however, smirking and giving her a finger – to hold on a moment. Then she sneaked quickly and quietly through the door, so quickly that Aerith wasn’t even sure she saw her move. There was a beat of silence, then a muffled grunt and a _thud_. Aerith peeked her head through again, seeing a triumphant Yuffie stretching above the now unmoving figure. Cautiously, Aerith moved through the hallway and paused in front of the door where Yuffie now stood. The door had a small window in it, and Aerith peeked her head up to look through it. _This room looks very familiar_. She let out a sigh of relief.

“This is the room,” she whispered, pointing at it. “I’ll go in, would you keep guard?”

Yuffie nodded and gave her a thumbs up, which reminded her of Wedge back in Midgar. She smiled tentatively and squared her shoulders, turning this knob and quietly opening the door.

The room was silent, save for a whirring sound coming from the left side where a large separate room had been erected. _A freezer_ , the thought dawned on her as she saw the thick, corrugated metal that was insulating the room behind. So that’s why Cloud was so cold. She stared at the freezer, recognizing the window she had seen through Cloud’s eyes. She dashed over and stood on her tiptoes to peer inside. The room inside was dark, but with the dim moonlight coming through the outside window, she was able to make out that it was full of boxes. Just out of sight, she made out a familiar color – blond.

She sighed, hand reaching for the door handle and clicking it down, opening it and releasing a whoosh of cold air. A light flickered on as she did so, revealing a catatonic Cloud haphazardly laying on the icy floor, fingers and lips blue from cold as his eyes were squeezed shut, obviously in pain even in his comatose state. Surrounding him were sparkling shards of frozen liquid mako, the obvious result of her assistance earlier. No wonder they had been so surprised when they saw him.

“I had a feeling you were involved,” a sickly familiar voice introduced, startling Aerith. She whirled around, staff at the ready, only to see Hojo smirking with crossed arms as he walked into the room, followed by two Shinra troopers and a spitting mad Yuffie.

“Unhand me, you filthy pigs!” she screeched. “I will kill all of you!”

“Oh hush, child,” Hojo said in annoyance, steely eyes flashing through circular glasses at the younger girl. “Or this will get more unpleasant for you.”

Yuffie struggled against the grip of the trooper, fire practically exploding from her eyes. She looked absolutely livid.

“I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m not allowing it,” Aerith countered, fixing her stance and glaring daggers at her former captor. “Cloud is my friend and you have no right to treat him like this!”

Hojo laughed.

“Your friend, yes?” he seethed. “My dear, he was my property before he was your friend. Just because he somehow escaped doesn’t make this any less true. You should be happy, Aerith. I have no need for _you_ at this moment. I’m sparing you, so leave me to my work in peace.”

“Never!” Aerith set her expression and shot fire quickly at one of the two troopers, who instantly collapsed. Yuffie took this opportunity to break free from her captor, delivering a kick square in his jaw. Aerith rushed over to help, hitting him with a good tempest charge. Yuffie punched him in the stomach, and the trooper doubled over in pain, collapsing from a final wave of fire from Aerith. She nodded firmly at Yuffie, who grinned wickedly back.

“That’s enough now,” Hojo called from behind them, and Aerith cursed herself for stepping away as she whirled around to face him again, heart falling into her stomach as she saw his hand around Cloud’s neck, having dragged him out of the freezer. Cloud wasn’t moving, and he bore no awareness of his situation other than his eyebrows knitting together and his mouth slightly frowning. Hojo had a syringe held up next to his neck and glinting eyes as he studied the two girls.

“Don’t you hurt him!” Aerith cried out, brandishing her staff. Hojo ‘tsked’ and shook his head, poking the needle into Cloud’s neck. Her breath caught in her throat.

“I’m only doing what you will make me do, child,” he answered clearly. “Now be a dear and put your weapon down, or this time he just may not survive.”

Aerith dropped her staff instantly, putting up her trembling hands. She kept her eyes on that needle piercing Cloud’s neck, and she felt the slightest relief when it was retracted.

“Very good,” Hojo said with a sick smile. “You are certainly going to be a problem, aren’t you.” He adjusted his hold on Cloud so that the latter slumped at his feet, instantly curling up reflexively as if to defend himself. “I certainly can’t have you ruining my experiments. This specimen is the closest I’ve gotten to my reunion theory, and I need to finish it.”

“What are you talking about?” Aerith asked, fists clenched at her sides. “What reunion theory?”

Hojo grinned.

“This, my girl, is what I assumed to be a failed experiment,” he started with a strong kick to Cloud’s side. Cloud winced but otherwise made no movement. “He showed no signs of improvement of any kind after _years_ of my spending time on him, and so I had assumed him a catastrophic failure. Him turning up to rescue _you_ , of all things, was absolutely… _delicious._ ”

So that was where Cloud had spent his missing years...living as Hojo’s experiment. Aerith shuddered at the implication, remembering her last encounter with him and the horrible, twisted threats he had made. She had gotten lucky, but Cloud? She looked worriedly at him.

“Cloud? Can you hear me?” She called out softly, doing her best to ignore the mad scientist hovering above him. Cloud twitched, his head raised slightly, and his eyes slowly opened. The poisonous glow shone brightly as he stared at her, trembling a bit in holding his head up. His lips parted as if to say something, and then he fell back, squeezing his eyes shut again.

“Dude, that’s messed up,” Yuffie breathed angrily. “What’s your problem, sicko?”

Hojo shrugged, frowning down at Cloud and kicking him slightly.

“The simple answer is the cells in this specimen should, in theory, be trying to reunite with their host, Jenova. Seeing as Sephiroth himself was spotted near here, it only made sense to take him and continue the theory.”

Aerith hissed through her teeth, staring anxiously down at Cloud. Nothing good ever came from Jenova cells.

“Now, that’s quite enough stalling,” Hojo said, stepping over Cloud and approaching them. “I can’t have _you_ –” he jerked a finger in her face, “ruining my experiments again. And I don’t even know you. You’re just a child.” He frowned at Yuffie. “No matter. I’m sure we can come up with some…arrangement.” He smiled menacingly at her. Yuffie’s glare faltered, revealing the slightest hint of fear. Aerith ignored Hojo for the moment, eyes on Cloud’s body still lying on the floor. If only she could get over to him…

“What makes you think we’ll cooperate with you?” she spat at Hojo, drawing his eyes to her again. Hojo laughed.

“It doesn’t seem you have much of a choice,” he reminded her. “If you truly care about this…friend of yours, then you’ll make a smart decision and be quiet.” His eyes bore holes into her, dissecting her. Aerith felt subconscious, but she did her best to only show anger. Hojo turned toward the wall where the window was located, and approached a table sitting there. A single, simple telephone and a shiny, metal tray filled with other steely objects that made her breath hitch in fright sat, waiting. As she watched, Hojo lifted up the telephone receiver and dialed. She took her chance, quickly bypassing the older man and kneeling next to Cloud. She only had a few moments. With every ounce of inner strength she possessed, Aerith placed her hand on Cloud’s chilled forehead and willed the mako inside him to listen to her. It flexed, rearing its ugly head at her internal search. Quickly, she calmed it down and coaxed it back out of his pores. If she could get enough out of him, hopefully he would wake up…

The receiver clicked down again and Hojo turned around as Aerith shot a look of rage up at him.

“What are you doing, silly girl?” he asked, frowning as he watched. His eyes widened slightly as she continued to coax the mako out of Cloud. It began to pool beneath his body, metallic and innocent.

“Hey! Creepy science dude!” Yuffie shouted then, and Hojo turned back to her with a retort on his lips. She punched him square in the nose, and Hojo fell, glasses shattered and mangled and nose – much to Aerith’s delight – looking much the same. He didn’t move.

Yuffie ran over to her.

“What are you doing?” she repeated Hojo’s words, eyes wide in uncertainty. Aerith held up a finger and kept going, feeling exhaustion tug at her from utilizing this much of abilities she was still unsure of. With the last of what she could pull seeping out of his skin, she fell back heavily on her side, joining him on the floor as she panted.

“Removing…the mako,” she explained through sharp breaths. She felt a liquid run down her nose and lifted one tired hand, discovering a nosebleed. She laughed and looked back at Cloud, who looked much more peaceful now.

“Cloud?” she whispered tentatively as her breathing began to slow back to a normal rhythm. “Cloud, come back to me.”

As if watching in slow-motion, Aerith saw his eyes blink a few times and flutter open. The mako glow was gone, the only reminder being the green rims around his pupils. His eyes focused on her, blank waking replaced with confusion and then concern.

“What’s going on?” he mumbled, struggling to sit up. Yuffie stepped over and tugged on his arm, helping him into a sitting position against the wall. He took in Yuffie, Aerith still lying on the floor, and a crumpled, knocked out professor Hojo. His eyes widened and he stared at the pool of mako he was sitting in.

“Hey there buddy! Name’s Yuffie,” Yuffie introduced with her hands on her hips. “Best ninja in the world! I helped Aerith infiltrate this here boat and rescue you. Then Aerith went all witchy with her hands and actually pulled mako from you! How crazy is that!”

Aerith chuckled softly and worked on sitting up, feeling a bit woozy from the exertion.

“Thanks for the recap, Yuffie,” she said with a smile as she patted her hair a bit. “I’d love to talk more, but we should probably go. Can you stand?” she asked Cloud softly.

“I…I think so,” he said shakily, eyeing her. “Can you?”

Aerith laughed again and held up a hand for Yuffie to help her.

“I should be able to, I’m feeling better already,” she promised as she was hoisted to her feet. The younger girl was certainly stronger than she looked. Together, the two of them helped haul Cloud to his feet too. He leaned heavily against the wall for a few moments, looking more than unsteady on his feet. Aerith knew they didn’t have much time, however. She stepped next to him and put his arm around her shoulder.

“Here, we’ll help,” she encouraged, nodding to Yuffie to do the same. Cloud looked wary, but he didn’t complain as the three slowly made their way out of the room, down the hallway, and back up the stairs.

“I’ll take out the guards,” Yuffie said dangerously, eyeing the two still enthralled with their game. Aerith let her go and kept moving Cloud, who was heavier than he looked. With each step he seemed a bit surer of himself and was able to put more weight on his own feet, however.

“You came for me,” he said lowly as they watched Yuffie leap from above and attack the guards, silencing them before they could alert others to the escapees’ presence.

“Of course I did,” Aerith replied cheerfully as she helped him over to the rope ladder. “I said I would come for you, silly.”

Cloud mumbled something she didn’t catch, but they didn’t have time as Yuffie skidded to a halt next to them and urged them down the ladder. It seemed their escape hadn’t gone entirely unnoticed. Aerith shimmied down the ladder first, ready to catch Cloud with aero if he slipped. He went more slowly than he usually would, but Cloud was already looking steadier on his feet. He landed on the deck, bent knees absorbing the brunt of his impact. He nodded to her. Yuffie tumbled after them and led the way back up the stairs to the long, empty hallway. Aerith pointed to the elevator down the hall and they began their jog towards freedom.

It was a painstakingly long next few minutes as they worked their way out of the upper plate of Junon and back down to the undercity. The guard at the bottom of the elevator didn’t even get a word in edgewise as Yuffie chopped a hand on his neck when they departed, dropping him in a single blow. Aerith encouraged Cloud along, who was now walking on his own, and they slipped out of town unnoticed.

Once they were far enough away, Aerith slowed, catching her breath and allowing the others to do the same.

“I’m sorry, Yuffie,” she apologized to the younger member of the team. “I didn’t get a chance to help you on your mission.”

“Well,” Yuffie said with a loud harrumph and a grin on her face, “you’ll just have to make it up to me. I’ll stick around for a while if that’s okay. You guys are _fun_.”

Cloud looked bewildered at her, but Aerith smiled. She liked this girl.

“Okay,” she said. “There’s a few things you need to know about us then. We have a few more in our group. We’re on the run from Shinra and we’re pursuing Sephiroth. Do you know him?”

“Do I ever,” Yuffie growled at the name. “I’d like to get my hands on him and wring his neck for all he did to Wutai!”

Aerith turned to Cloud and shrugged.

“Let’s get back,” she insisted. He nodded. Aerith led the way back to the hideout just as the first bits of light were beginning to touch the sky. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw her friends all resting still, none the wiser that she had left. She led Cloud back to her spot against the wall while Yuffie let out a small exclamation over the satchel of food waiting next to the cold fire, dropping to a cross-legged sitting position and beginning to rifle through the bag. Cloud leaned heavily against the wall, not yet fully recovered. Aerith sank down next to him, intertwining her arm with his and resting her shoulder on his bicep.

“Thank you for coming for me,” he said quietly, breath tickling her scalp as he rested his chin on top of her hair. Aerith sighed, feeling exhaustion seeping from her bones as she settled in and let her eyes drift closed.

“I’ll always have your back,” she said sleepily, curling in closer to his side.

“But Aerith, what you did…that was dangerous,” Cloud insisted, drawing her eyes back open as she looked up at him. “Coming alone and…taking the mako from me. That didn’t look like a good thing for you.”

Aerith shrugged, beaming up at him.

“You’re worth it,” she told him. “I embraced the moment and I saved you. You know how it is, the strong protecting the weak.” Her reminder of previous banter pulled a small smirk from his lips.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked her gently. She shrugged again and leaned in, feeling exhaustion strip her ability to respond. She let out a big yawn and clung to his arm, happy that he was feeling much warmer now than he had been before.

Just before she drifted off to sleep, Aerith felt Cluod place a kiss on top of her head and carefully slip his hand in hers, which set off a chain reaction of warmth that radiated from that kiss to her heart and all the way down to her toes. She sighed peacefully, finally feeling that everything was right with the world, even just for now.


End file.
